Cable guide



Aug. 17, 1937.

E. A. FULTZ Er AL CABLE GUIDE Filed Jfine 29, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet l In venior 2mm M 19% Attorneys Aug. 17, 1937.

E. A. F ULTZ El AL CABLE GUIDE Filed June 29, 1936 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors EflF /fz E. A. FULTZ El AL CABLE GUIDE Filed June 29, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A itorneys Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved device in the nature of an attachment for a cable reel such as is employed in connection with certain mining machinery,

5 It is a matter of common knowledge that cable reels of different types are employed in coal mines and the like. One common type of structure is a wheel-supported frame adapted to travel on the conventional rails or tracks wherein said frame is provided with a winding and reeling drum driven by the track-engaging wheels. As the cable is paid out or reeled in, it is necessary, as is evident, to guide it so that it may be wound evenly or uniformly on the drum. Ordinarily, an

operative or attendant does this guiding of the cable by hand.

Manifestly, this hand method of guiding the cable on the mechanically driven drum is not only laborious, but is highly dangerous, thus resulting in needless yet sometimes unavoidable accidents. With this factor of danger uppermost in mind, we have set out to correct this crude method of cable handling.

In reducing to practice our idea, we have per- .2 fected a simple, efficient and economical attachment which is susceptible of being built on the existing or stock wheel-supported truck without requiring alterations in the regulation parts, the attachment being characterized by a special 30 adapter frame and a hand-maneuvered or controlled lever equipped with guide pulleys for properly leveling and guiding the cable so that it may be expeditiously and properly spooled,

Features and advantages in addition to these 35 will doubtles become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the 40 views:

Figure 1 is what may be designated as a front (Cl. Mil-93) Figure 6 is a perspective view of the handle and pulley-equipped cable guiding unit or lever.

By way of introduction to the detailed description, it is to be pointed out that so far as the truck or reel-carrying car or other conveyance is con- 5 cerned, this may be of any suitable construction. We are therefore merely showing sufiicient of the old structure in the drawings to set off andbetter portray the combination of the attachment therewith to render more safe and satisfactory 10 the handling of the cable. The portable chassis or frame shown in the drawings is denoted by the numeral 1, and is provided with the customary flanged or car wheels 8 running on the tracks or rails 9. The drum or reel proper is indicated at l0 and is mounted on a mechanically driven supporting shaft l l journaled in appropriate bearings 12. Power take-off rollers 53 are fastened to the ends of the shaft I and contact with the peripheral portions of the car wheels 8 to properly rotate the drum H] to wind or unwind the cable 84. As is customary an appropriate hand-controlled clutch I5 is employed to control the rotation or idling of the cable reel l0.

Considering now the cable accommodating, guiding and spooling means, it will be observed that this is in the nature of an attachment expressly built to fit on the truck or reel carriage. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the relatively fixed unit I6 is in the nature of a frame and includes a pair of vertical legs [1 having laterally directed feet I8 rigidly bolted as at H) to the chassis or frame I. Extending at right angles from the upper ends of the legs is a substantially V-shaped retaining and supporting member 2!] for the complemental horizontally disposed lever 2!. It is to be observed that the uprights or legs I! rise to a height slightly above what may be described as the top of the reel or drum. Then the V-shaped member 20 has its apex portion projecting to a point substantially at a point directly above the shaft II. This disposes the lever 2| on a plane so that it will have free swinging movement from side to side in a limited arcuate path. At the juncture of the arms of the V-shaped portion and the upper ends of the legs I1 is a horizontal guide and regulating device for the intermediate or frontal end portion of the lever. This is made up of a top bar 22 substantially straight 5 and disposed directly above and in parallelism with a complemental bar 23 whose outer ends 24 are offset and bolted to the companion arm i as indicated at the point 25. The same bolt serves to connect both of the bars 22 and 23 in place. The bars thus arranged and shaped allow the lever to swing from side to side in a horizontal plane and in a limited or predetermined arc. ,A central portion of the lever is pivotally attached as at 26 to the apex portion" of the V-shaped member 20. The outer end of the lever includes a right angularly. bent de- ,i pending portion 21 havinga return bend or terminal28 to which a U-shaped hanger bracket or fixture 29 is swivelly fastened as indicated at the point. 30. This fixture is provided. with the companion grooved pulleys3l between which the 7 free end of thecable is trained for proper maintenance and guiding. The features 21 and serve to position the perpendicular bracket 29 at a point slightly above the axis of rotation of the reel. This is believed to be the most advantageous level to permit the cable to be wound in orpaid out, as the case maybe. In other Words, the parts of the attachment including "the position of the pendulous-like guide pulleys are properly proportioned and arranged to insure expeditious and easilycontrollable spooling; of the cable. The result is that the cable can be satisfactorily handled by merely working the lever back andjforth in an arcuate path and in a horizontal plane through the instrumentality P of the properly located handle or hand-grip 32 at the inner end thereof. Incidentally, the handle 32 is located inwardlybeyond the drum so that it is effectively located to facilitate ma-.

nipulation. i

It is so desired to construct and proportion the adapter frame unit. i 6 that it may be rigidly attached to the conventional car truck frame for chassis I and to at the same time dispose the pulley-equipped guiding lever in a. plane to properly level and control the cable in a masterful and dependable way. Thus, novelty would ap-.

pear to reside in the provision of such a frame disposing the lever on a plane above the cable or drum with one end of the lever'inwardly beunderstood that minor changes coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to if desired.

We claim:

1. In a structure of the .class described, in, combination, a wheel-supported frame, a reeling drum mounted for rotation onsaid frame, an adapter unit in the form of a frame including upstanding legs attached to said first-named framein advance of the'reel, said adapter frame having its upper end portion of V-shaped form with the apex portion thereof overlying the central portion of the 'reel, horizontally disposed longitudinally elongated lever guiding means attached to the upper end portion of said adapter unit, a lever lpivotally attached intermediate its ends to the apex portion of said V-shaped member, said lever being provided at its inner end with a handle, the outer end portion thereof extending through said lever guiding means and beyond the same, a perpendicular fixtureattached to and depending from the outer end portion of said lever; and pulleys mounted for rotation in said fixture, said pulleys being disposed on a predetermined plane in relation to the axis of 225 rotation of the reel for leveling and spooling purposes. V

2. An attachmentofthe class described comprising an adapter frame including vertical legs having attaching feet at their lower ends,'a horizontally disposed V-shaped member attached to the upper-ends of said legs, horizontally disposed upper andlower spaced parallel guide bars 1 attached to the upper end portions of said legs,

a lever pivotally attached intermediate its ends 135 a to the apex portion of said V-shaped member, the outer end of said lever extending through and beyond said guide bars, and having a depending terminal portion provided 'with a U- shaped bracket, and cable guiding pulleys mounted for idling rotation in said bracket.

3. As a component part of a structure of the class described, and a new article of trade, an adapter unit in the form of a one-piece frame, said frame including a pair of duplicate attaching legs adapted to be attached in vertical position to a wheel supported frame of the type specified,- said adapter frame further including. a substantially V-shaped portion adapted to occupy a horizontal position at right angles to said legs, horil zontally disposed upper and lower spaced parallel guide bars attached to said V-shaped portion within the vicinity of said legs.

ROBERT H. HALE. EDWARDA. FUL'I'Z. 

